Process of filling teeth.



G. A. BROUILLET! PROCESSOF FILLI'NG TEETH.

AFPLICATION mu) SEPT. 12. I912- 1,262,629. 1 Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

enoaens A. BROUILLET, or Bnoo-KLInn, nnssncnnsnrrs.

rnocnss or FILLING TEETH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 16, 1918.

Application filed September 12, 1912. Serial No. 720,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Gnonens A. BRoUILLnT, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Brookline, county of Norfolk, State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Processes of FillingTeeth, of which the following description, in connection with theaccompanying drawing, is a specification, like characters on the drawingrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to a process of filling teeth. It has heretoforebeen proposed to treat a decayed tooth by first cleaning the cavity andthen filling the cavity with cement, and then applying a veneer plate ofgold or other ductile metal to the exterior of the cement filling, saidveneer plate having anchoring projections extending from its under facewhich are embedded in and interlocked with the cement filling. Theadvantage claimed for this type of filling is that the cement. makes amuch more satisfactory filling for the cavity than gold or amalgam andthe veneer plate which covers the cement takes the wear and prevents thecement from being deteriorated by the action of the saliva.

In order that the veneer plate may properly perform its function it isnecessary that it should accurately fit the mouth of the cavity inthetooth so that no moisture or saliva can work under the edge of theveneer to act on the cement filling. The metal cap or veneer platecannot be accurately fitted to thetooth unless said plate is made of avery thin and ductile material, but when the plate is made of thismaterial it has not sufficient strength or stiffness to hold its shapeduring subsequent use of the tooth, and the edge of the veneer plate isvery apt to curl up somewhat, thus exposing a part of the ocmentfilling.

My improvement consists in providing a novel method by which the veneerplate can be reinforced or stiffened after it has been shaped to thecavity or tooth, so thatrwhen it is finally applied to the cementfilling it will be sufiiciently stifi and unyielding so that it willhold its shape and will also present a hard wearing surface capable ofresisting any wear to which the tooth will be subjected.

In order to explain the, principle of the invention, I have shown in thedrawings some views illustrative of my lmproved process.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a tooth with my veneer plate fitted toa cavity.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the tooth with the veneer-plate removedshowing the cavity to be filled.

Fig.3 i'sra perspective view of the veneer plate before it is fitted tothe tooth.

.Fig. 4: is a sectional view on the line zv-m, Fig. 1 showing the veneerplate fitted to the mouth of the cavity.

Fig. 5 is a view of the veneer plate after it has been fitted.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view of the veneer plate after it has beenreinforced.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 4 showing the tooth filledand the reinforced veneer plate applied thereto.

l designates a toothhaving a cavity 2 therein to be filled.- In fillingthis cavity in accordance with my'invention said cavity is first cleanedout in the usual manner, and then a veneer plate 3 is fitted to themouth of the cavity, this preferably being done before the cavity isfilled and immediately after itis cleaned out. This veneer plate 3ismade of thin ductile metal, preferably gold, and is provided on itsinner face with one or more anchoring projections 4.. These anchoringprojections may be formed on the veneer plate in any suitable way andmay conveniently be in the form of pins soldered to the plate. Thisveneer plate is made of the proper shape to cover the mouth of thecavity. Fig. 3 shows an unshaped plate adapted to cover the cavity 2shown in Fig.

2. This veneer plate 3 is applied to the mouth of the cavity 2 beforethe latter is filled and is then burnished or worked over to cause it toconform exactly to the shape of the tooth and to the shape of the mouthof the cavity. Before shapingthe veneer plate 3 to the cavity 2 I prefertov cut the tooth at the mouth of the cavity so asto provide the bevelportion 10, and in fitting the mouth of the cavity slightly so that theedgesof the plate are bent upwardly as shown at 11, and overliethe bevelP flEiOn 10 as clearly seen in Fig. e. This bevel perv veneer plate tothe mouth of the cavity the plate-is preferably worked down into theother appropriate way.

While this reinforcing may be done in vari ous ways, I prefer toaccomplish it by removing the shaped veneer plate from the tooth andthen applying to the exterior surface .5 thereof a layer 6 of solder orother similar metal which is harder and less ductile than the gold leafof which the veener plate is made. This layer 6 of solder or otherreinforcing material may be applied to the exterior surface 5 of theveneer plate by means of a blow-pipe or in any In carrying out thisoperation it is extremely important that none of the solder should beallowed to run over on the under side of the veneer plate which isaccurately shaped to the tooth, and it is also important that the shapeof the fitted plate should not be changed at all during the applicationof the reinforcing layer. In shaping the veneer plate to the bevel.surface 10 of the tooth, said veneer plate will preferably be givensuch a shape that when the reinforced layer 6 is applied the exteriorsurface of the reinforcing layer 6 vwill be situated properly when theveneer plate is applied to the tooth to furnish a grinding surface thatcooperates with the opposed tooth. The upturned edges 11 of the veneerplate are of some assistance in applying the reinforcing layer, becausethey furnish a sort of gage to determine the proper thickness for thisreinforcing layer. After the shaped veneer plate is thus relnforced itis comparatively stilf and is provlded with a hard exterior surfacewhich is well adapted to resist the wear to which the grinding surfaceof teeth is subjected.

After having prepared the veneer plate, as above described, the cavity 2is filled with any suitable cementitious material 7 which will set orharden in a short time, and the shaped Veneer plate 3 is then applied tothe mouthof the cavity while the cementitious material is soft. In thusapplying the veneer plate the anchoring projections 4 are forced intothe comparatively soft cement and the shaped veneer plate accuratelyfits the tooth and entirely covers the cement. When the. cement hasbecome hard the veneer plate is firmly anchored in place. Because of thefact that this veneer plate is reinforced, as above described, it hassulficlent stifiness and strength so that the edges thereofwill not curlaway from the tooth j and expose the cement filling at any point.

Furthermore the exterior surface of the plate, which is subjected to allthe wear, is the surface on which the reinforcement is applied,,and asthe reinforcing material is hard, a filling made in accordance with myinvention will wear indefinitely.

A filling embodying 'my invention has better wearing qualities than asolid gold filling, it is much cheaper to make, and is better for thetooth.

fitted plate is not changed, but the plate is stifiened and strengthenedat the points where the Wear occurs. 7

In applying my reinforcing material the exterior surface of the veneerplate is built up to the proper point to make a properly positionedgrinding surface for the tooth. f

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is r j 1. The method of filling teeth whichconsists in providing a veneer plate of thin ductile material of a shapeto cover the mouth of the cavity to be filled and having anchoringprojections extending from the inner face thereof, shaping said plateaccurately to the mouth of the cavity, upturning the edge of said platewhereby a dish shaped plate is provided, filling said dish portion witha reinforcing coating of comparatively hard metal which forms theexterior face of the completed plate, filling the cavity withcementitious filling material and then applying the reinforced veneerplate to the mouth of the filled cavity.

2. The steps in the process of filling teeth which consists in providinga bevel surface on the tooth at the mouth of the cavity, fitting aveneer plate of thin ductile material to the mouth of the cavity withthe edge of the plate upturned and overlying the beveled surface,applying to the exterior or wear surface of the shaped veneer plate areinforcing layer of material harder than that of the plate thereby tostifi'en the latter, filling the cavity with a soft cementitiousmaterial and then applying the reinforced plate to the mouthof thefilled cavity, said reinforcing layer presenting a hard grinding'surface to the filling.

3. The process of filling the tooth which consists of cutting the toothat the mouth of the cavity to provide a beveled surface, pro-- vidingthe veneer plate of thin ductile metal having anchoring projectionsextending from one side thereof, fitting the edge of said metal plate tothe beveled surface at the mouth of the cavity and forcing the main bodyof said plate slightly below the position to be occupied by the exterioror grinding surface of the filling, applying to the exterior or wearsurface of the shaped veneer plate a layer of comparatively hard Intestimony whereof, I have signed my material to stifi'en the latter andto bulld up name to this specification in the presence of the exteriorsurface thereof to the proper two subscribing Witnesses.

point, filling the cavity With cementitious GEORGES A. BROUILLET. 5filling material and then applying the rein- Witnesses:

forced veneer plate to the mouth of the filled LOUIS C. SMITH,

cavity. ANNA E. LONG.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

